I wanted a dual planer mast but like you was hesitant to drill holes to mount one. I bought two Canon planer board reels that come with the "railing clamps" then attached them to a piece of aluminum electrical conduit (1 inch I. Think). I then used 3 pipe clamps to attach that to a spare seat post that fit into my front seat receptor. Works perfectly. I did wrap the pipe clamps with duct tape just to cover sharp edges. I didn't see any commercial mast offerings that used the stock seat hole when I was looking.

Yes can can run anything off of planer boards: leadcore, flyline, even mono with dipsy divers. I use off shore releases (that come with the shower curtain holders to attach to the planer board line). If putting out more than 2 lead cores per side, I put the least amount of colors used on the outside so that it hopefully floats over the deeper line with more colors when a fish hits. USUALLY works out good...

GET A GOOD JIGG BOX WITH THE RIGHT LEAD CORE LINE TO GET YOU INTO THE HIT ZONE. FORGET THE PLANER BOARDS FOR MARCH AND APRIL EVERYTHING IS ON THE TOP 15 FEET AND HUNGRY. GREY.... YOU KNOW WITH A BLOOD RED BEAD ABOVE THE SWIVEL . BEST OF LUCK, TAKE A KID OUT AND THEY WILL NEVER FORGET THE FIRST FISH THEY EVER CAUGHT, I KNOW , CUZ I STILL REMEMBER THAT SPECIAL DAY. PLEASE TAKE PICTURES OF THAT DAY, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN . E

Big John doesn't make the seat adapter any more, it lists it as an accessory but says it's discontinued.
I'm sure I could adapt it to make it work but now I'm questioning if my Bimini will be in the way. Might just wait until I uncover the boat to make sure it will work before pulling the trigger.

there are a few different way you can run boards. on my last boat, i had a dual mast. i mounted it up on the bow where you would usually find a trolling motor. that way, i didn't have to drill through my floor or use a seat post mount or adapter etc. and it was up and out of the way. removable too so i could put my cover on. i had a riviera mast with the kachman automatic reels, which i highly recommend.

there are other methods for running boards such as reels mounted to rails etc, but you're going to want to get the board lines as high as you can to facilitate the releases sliding down them. the higher the better. and an adjustable mast like the riviera is a great way to go. most masts are 6 ft high, the riviera has different height settings you can use. just makes it more convenient. it's also easily removed, you just attach it in and out of a base that stays mounted to the boat.

as for boards, get some big jon otter boats or some collapsible dual boards. for releases, i like the OR releases, OR 10's i think. the yellow ones. put em on some metal shower curtain rings to attach them to the planer board line.

jig boxes are great too, but there are times when the boards will be more productive. and vice versa. the boards help you spread out lines, which in the spring when the fish are up high is a good thing. they impart a lot of action to your lures as well.

Is there a benefit to running a larger planer board vs a smaller board? I like the size of the inline planer boards and would like to run something similar but off a mast. I like the idea of something less bulky that I can keep on my boat and not be in the way if I'm not using them. I plan to only run one line on each side to help get my fly lines a bit more spread out.

The offshore boards with the tattle flag looks pretty cool.
Anyone use the inline boards? Seems like a cheap and easy route to go but I don't know how much they affect the feel when reeling in a fish with the board on the same line? Then you need to unclip the board before getting the fish to the boat?

I used inlines for years and was very happy with them. I thought they gave better action in modest waves but became hard to read as waves grew. Essentially, you have to learn to read them (very hard with small fish). Sometimes...they act like a bobber and almost go under...other times...they just trail back a little. Once you get used to it you can read them pretty well. Yes they impact the fight for the first 20-30 feet until you get them on board and unclip them. Again..you get good at a fast unclip even when alone and its not an issue. I considered the mechanical flag upgrade but decided to go with otter boats that year instead. The main advantage to full size is you can put more than one line on a side and you get released on MOST hits. I always tell folks...inlines are the best way to go for price and easily getting into leadcore. Must better than just running strait off the back (unless you have a jigging box) and if you have DRs...you can run two lead core off the planers and two off the DRs (if you have two or more people on board). I keep my two inlines on board just in case some thing happens with my mast or boards. They are easy to store and good insurance.

GET YOURSELF A GOOD JIGGING BOX AND FORGET THE PLANNING BOARDS, TOO MUCH JUNK IN THE BOAT AND TANGLES. YOU CANT REGULATE A PLANERBOARD FOR SPEED AND MOVEMENT. WITH A JIGG BOX YOUR MOVEMENT CAN BE ANY SPEED UP AND BACK OR PUT IN THE CENTER OF YOUR BOAT IN THE BACK A LEFT AND RIGHT MOTION THAT REALLY DRIVES THE FISH CRAZY. I KNOW IVE BEEN DOING THIS FOR YEARS BUT I NEVER WON THE WINNI DERBY. BUT SOMEDAY THAT BIG ONE WILL HIT AND ILL BE THE WINNER . HOPE THIS HELPS IVE CAUGHT MANY SALMON THIS WAY. FISH ON !!!

little advice on running those off shores with shower clips. I've lost probably close to a dozen because shower rings pop open or you forget to close them right. I switched my off shore and big Scotty clips to small snap caribiner clips.
Haven't lost one since. At the price of the release, you don't need to have to buy them twice. I got a bunch of carribiner clips on ebay.

I decided to bow mount mine as that was what I had seen on other boats I fished on. The reason being you want it to be as high as you can get it to easily run multiple lines away from the boat as mentioned in other replies. It only takes four thumb screws to detach it from the base on the bow.

I connect the lines to otter boats which I again purchased because I had seen them used on other boats including several guides. They are bulky but the trade off is they handle rough water well.

The offshore yellow clips are the way to go.

As for jigging boxes I presently don't have any. However I did have the privilege of fishing on the late John Sampson's boat and he ran the G2 jiggers on his downriggers, straight jig boxes on the gunwales and custom made G2 jiggers attached to his otter boats planning boards. At that time he was fishing flies exclusively.

i've never run in-line boards so i can't speak to them. but the big boards run on a mast work extremely well. if you need something that stows easily, get some collapsible dual planer boards. riviera makes some, and i think fish307 sells their own brand, maybe $50 each or so.

i would be looking at the automatic spring loaded riviera reels, cant say how many times ive run over slack planer line on a windy day as the boat spins around and my net man is steering the boat. thats one thing i saw on john sampsons boat that i really wanted